Brass Ensemble - Level 4 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.808638
Composed by John Henry Hopkins Jr. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Christian,Christmas. Score and parts. 28 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #511291. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808638).
John Henry Hopkins, Jr., served as both rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and music teacher at General Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1857 he wrote the words and music of this carol for the Seminary’s Christmas pageant. Hopkins’ composition was well received, and he included it in his 1863 publication, Carols, Hymns, and Songs. "We Three Kings" went on to become generally popular, the first U.S.-written Christmas carol to do so.
The carol’s Aeolian-mode melody sounds haunting, minor, medieval, even Middle Eastern. The words tell the story of the magi who, according to the Bible, searched out the child Jesus, worshiped him and gifted him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Hopkins constructed the carol so that everyone would sing the first and last verses, while each of verses 2, 3 and 4 was sung by a different male voice. This brass quintet arrangement follows that structure. The middle three verses each features a different instrument to correspond to the three kings; Gaspard (trumpet), Melchior (trombone), and Balthazar (tuba). In the first verse, the three instruments play together with the rest joining in, and in the last the entire group plays. The five verses have been set within a bell-like, major-key interpretation of the tune that serves as introduction, transition and conclusion. To ensure that the music lies within the normal playing range of all instruments, the key has been transposed to three flats.
The first version of this arrangement was completed in 2012 and revised in 2019. Performance time runs about 5 minutes, 44 seconds. Purchasers of the older version of "We Three Kings" should contact the arranger, Les Smith, directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. Also, Les will be happy to provide substitute parts (e.g., treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard’s global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.
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